Story of a Cannon Fodder who Firmly Believed He was the Protagonist, Misunderstood the Actual Protagonist as the Cannon Fodder, and Ended up Victorious
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Ink
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 039 – Blank Slate [E]
<—Let’s stay here and support her. I couldn’t call myself a paladin if I couldn’t save the life in front of me!>
<—No, let’s do as she says and help the other paladins.> ◀
Tlue started running. He arrived just before Beta was being attacked by a woman who looked similar to May. Thorns shot from the woman’s sword and pierced toward Beta. And that thorn,
—Was blocked by Tlue.
It was a momentary judgment. Tlue made use of his magic and stood in front of Beta to shield her. Then he tore apart all the thorns… but one managed to scratch his arm slightly.
“A, aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”
Indescribable pain struck him. It felt as if a shock directly burned his brain. He bled slightly. Even though that was the extent of his wound, Tlue was in agony from the degree of pain he had never felt before.
“Fuh, too bad. It seems that wasn’t enough to finish you…”
“Aaah.”
“The pain is beyond words, right? This is the power of this magic sword.”
“gh.”
“To think you could shoot your magic in that state… However”
The afterglow of pain was still swirling within him. Tlue felt he was losing himself, and the fear of being stripped from existence struck him.
That was why he tried to cast his magic as usual…
“That’s too bad.”
The thorn was shot again. And they hit his body this time. Tlue’s scream resounded at night. However, Tlue still persisted and tried to squeeze his everything.
The magic was completed. The woman who resembled May was blown away by the super-wide range wind magic conjured by Tlue. After that, Tlue dropped his hand to the ground and panted.
And there, the sound of meteors echoed. The woman that was blown away by the wind got up.
“…That direction is… May… or Mami… I guess that’s enough for now. Beta is just a cripple after all. She is unnecessary… Do your best to not become crippled… no, I guess it’s already too late for that. Well then, it seems there is a monster in that direction, so I have to cover for them.”
With that said, the woman disappeared. And Tlue lost his consciousness.
The next time Tlue woke up on a bed he didn’t recognize. There was a woman with an emotionless face sitting beside him.
“E-err… who are you…?”
“…gh.”
Tlue tilted his head and asked the woman whose name he didn’t know of… to Beta.
It was the effect of the magic sword that directly dealt damage to one’s psyche, Direct Pain. Tlue received a direct hit on that yet he forced himself to cast magic in that state. Because of that, it left a great damage to his memory and psyche.
“Err… where is this place…?”
“…”
Tlue, who lost his memories, looked around. Beta was looking at him with blank expression. Although it was emotionless, it was filled with an apologetic feeling somehow. After a while, the door of the room where Tlue rested opened.
“Beta…”
“…”
“We should be going.”
Alpha said that after entering the room. However, Beta shook her head.
“…You’ll remain here?”
“…”
“Until when?”
“…”
“I see… so you’ve chosen to remain there forever.”
Beta decided to stay beside Tlue, who had lost his everything, because he protected her. Seeing that, Alpha looked at her own hand with a sad expression on her face.
“In the end… all that is left for me is vengeance… Also, I don’t think we’ll meet ever again… goodbye… I hope you can be happy.”
Alpha was gone after saying that. They wouldn’t meet again. Tlue lost his everything, just like Beta lost everything that connected to her. It was as if both of them returned to being blank slates…
The wind blew, bringing a warm breeze to the room.
“Um, don’t you have to chase after her?”
“—gh…”
Beta silently shook her head. Tlue would no longer fight. Beta would stay by his side… forever.
— Blank Slate END
◆◆
As Beta was fighting against Abyss, Gamma came to help her. The two then dealt with most of the Abyss in the vicinity.
And, with the difference to the game version that Gamma didn’t die yet, things still proceeded as that with the appearance of the white-haired woman.
“Long time no see. I’m amazed to see you here, defect and toy-san.”
“…Ma-Mare… Why, are you… in this place…?”
“…”
Gamma shook in fear as she saw the woman. She held down her belly and began to tremble as if she was freezing.
“Aha, looks like your body still remembers how Direct Pain hit your stomach and tore your crotch. I still remember your thrilling scream back then.”
“…A, aah.”
“So you can’t even talk anymore… And you are still expressionless as usual, defect… Well in your case, it’s because part of your brain’s gone so I guess that’s obvious…”
“Be-beta, help me.”
As Gamma screamed in fear and snuggled on Beta, Beta stood in front to shield Gamma. The woman called Mare pointed her ominous sword as she uttered.
“Even if you lack emotion, you should be well aware of how amazing this magic sword is, right? Your father, the professor, enchanted this and made this awesome magic sword.”
“…”
“Fuh, oh well. Since both of you are here, it means Alpha-san is also here… I wanted to bring both of you back to be experimental bodies but, ahahah, I wanna hear those screams again… yes, yes. So… both of you can die together just like this.”
“—Please let me hear those screams again.”
Trauma revived in their memories. Part of Beta’s brain was taken out to examine how much it affected one’s pain receptor. As for Gamma, she was torn from her stomach all the way to the crotch to examine the strength of one’s soul.
Gamma couldn’t move because of her fear, and while Beta could move, her hand trembled slightly. Mare tried to swing her sword upward while laughing.
Thorns grew from the sword and surrounded the area around the two sisters. Their hands trembled and their feet were unable to move properly. At that moment, the two prepared for their own death. However, that ended as a needless worry. There was a sound of the ground being kicked, and a figure came to the front of the two.
The thorn pierced the shadow.
“…?”
Mare tilted her head. The magic sword she used would deal a direct pain to others’ psyche. If it hits, even if it wasn’t fatal injury, it would pretty much guarantee her victory. The figure cut down some of the thorns, so it wasn’t like all of the thorns hit that figure.
However, the thorn certainly hit that figure. Mare thought that figure was a fool who tried to help out of hypocrisy, but…
“…Hm? The thorn certainly… hit him…”
The black silhouette was exposed by the moonlight. His black hair and sharp eyes like a hawk were shining brightly. It was one man who wouldn’t get affected by the damage to his soul or his psyche. The sound of the ground being kicked could be heard once again.
Clank.
The thick sound of iron echoed where the sword and the katana clashed.
“Wha?! Direct Pain is ineffecti—“
“—Shut up.”
A gale-like sword approached Mare. Her sword and the man’s sword clashed once again. However, he couldn’t deal with both her sword and her thorn at the same time. As the katana and sword clashed, he didn’t have leisure to deal with the thorn.
“Are you wearing some sort of special equipment? Also, who are you?”
“I have no obligation to answer you.”
Gamma and Beta immediately realized the identity of the man before their eyes.
“…Fay.”
As soon as Gamma muttered, the thorn hit Fay’s body once again and he began to bleed. Be it Mare, Gamma, and Beta, they were well aware how fearsome the effect of the magic sword was, and they were convinced screaming would echo.
However, the man didn’t even break his silence.
“…What is the mechanism that makes this possible?”
Impossible. He didn’t even move his eyebrow despite taking direct hits from the thorn of Direct Pain… Is this man actually a puppet controlled by someone, somewhere…?
“Mechanism? Don’t make me laugh… there’s no such a thing. That’s the answer.”
The katana kept moving, aiming at her neck. It went persistently like the bite of a hungry wolf. It was a series of attacks from a puppet-like man who didn’t feel any pain from Direct Pain. Mare couldn’t help but shrink back as she faced a type of opponent she never encountered before.
And as the man was bleeding from his head, shoulders, arms, and legs… Mare was astonished. It was a goal that a man was trying to achieve. As that came to her mind,
“…Don’t tell me… No, there’s no way…”
“It seems I am being underestimated since you have leisure to speak nonsense.”
Fay was bleeding while turning his emotionless eyes at Mare. As she felt the tremendous determination and madness within those eyes, Mare felt fear for the first time in her life.
“Kuh, this is… the compatibility is the worst…?!!”
Mare was convinced that Direct Pain had the worst compatibility with the man in front of her. Then at the next moment, the exploding sounds of falling stars echoed in their eardrums.
Want early access to Executed Sage, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!
Also, Tsukii has picked up a new series called “A Story of a Cannon Fodder who Firmly Believed He was the Protagonist, Misunderstood the Actual Protagonist as the Cannon Fodder, and Ended up Victorious!” The title really says it all. Early access to more chapters for this story is available on Patreon.
How many part this chapter? This is cliff hanger?
Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?Why?why?why?why?
Man, been busy for a while and when i return, a load of information just keep coming, Fay sister, Alpha Sisters Past come to hunt them, and then Fay come and save the day like a Chad… Yup, can’t process them all, Thank for translation as always!
the exposition continues…
thx for the comment
At this point I think even a r**e scenario with orcs wouldn’t make Fay flinch
never gone that far, but when people’s mental fortitude put to test, he easily overcome it
Author be like: MC is quite weak but here is a convenient situation for his strength to shine lmao
author answer: the og prota(tlue and arthur) are too op physically that opponents have to exploit their mental weakness to stand a chance. however, our fay here just happened to be the strongest person in mental department, so he just happened to match the situation well.
There is an explanation to this later on. The whole og story was about strong protagonists that failed because of their weak souls/psyche. Later on there are some hints that individuals like fae existed in this world before. It’s also the reason why the abyss are afraid of him.
Sasuga Fay-sama nothing can phase him
it’s something that break Tlue in what if scenarios. Fay tanked several of them and shrugged it as nothing
why do i get I get the feeling he doesn’t even register the pain
he registered the pain. he just happen to be the strongest person in mental department that the pain is trivial to him
Oh, he certainly does… I think, but it’s normal for a cool type prota to not show how much it hurts!!
have fun laughing when his pov, the actual answer, came